Fluid register



Dec. 17, 1935. w. B. WALLACE 2,024,492

FLUID REGISTER Filed April 2l, 1930 ,mail

@HAMM Patented Dec. '17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fluidregisters.

It is customary in places where fluids are sold to store a certainamount of iiuid and to dispense this fluid as the sales are made. Whereseveral salesmen or attendants dispense the iiuid from a commondispenser, it is impossible to keep account of the quantity dispensed byindividual salesmen or attendants.

One object of the invention is to provide a register which may beattached to the fluid discharge conductor of the dispenser and set toregister the quantities of fluid dispensed by individual salesmen.

A further object of the invention is to provide a register includingindividual registers for each salesman, normally locked againstoperation, and arranged so that only one register can be operated at atime so that only the salesman having the key can operate his individualregister.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cutoff valve in thedischarge conductor which is normally closed and which is automaticallyopened when any of the registers are unlocked and set for operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described which will be practical and comprise comparativelyfew parts.

A construction designed to carry out the lnvention will be hereinafterdescribed together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a gasoline dispenser equipped with aregister constructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a view of the register partly in elevation and partly insection,

Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of the same,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 0f Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a detail of the valve operating means,

Figure 6 is a detail of the worm gearing,

Figure '7 is a sectional view of the operating plunger, and

Figure 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 8-8 ofFigure 2.

In the drawing the numeral III designates a tubular conduit havingunions II at each end. One of the unions is connected with an elbow I2in the fluid discharge line of a gasoline dispenser I3; while the otherunion is connected with an elbow I 4 which in turn connects with thehose I5.

Within the conduit is connected a valve case I6 having a verticallymoving valve I1 therein. An 5 upright casing I8 is mounted on theconduit and has a vertical lock supporting bar I9, a vertical guide bar20, a vertical valve bar 2I and a vertical shaft 22 suitably mountedtherein. The lock bar has rectangular recesses 23 (Figures 2 and 4) 10countersunk in one of its faces and also provided With rectangular slots24 extending axially from said recesses.

Individual registers A, B, C and D each have a shank or adjuster 25slidably engaging in one of 15 the slots 24. Each register is slidablymounted between guides 26 integral with the casing. It is not considerednecessary to go into the details of the registers as the digitsdisplayed may indicate various measures, such as quarts, gallons, etc.20 The rearward movement of the register is limited by a stop 21, whileits forward movement is limited by a stop 28. These stops are integralwith the registers and engage the guides.

The shaft 22 includes vertical worm screws 29 25 I in the path of wormgears 30 mounted on the shafts 3I of the registers. The shafts 3| arereduced and telescope into bearing brackets 32 mounted on the rear wallof the casing. Coiled springs 33 confined on the reduced portions of 30the shafts between the brackets and theA gears urge the shafts 3I andthe registers forwardly so that the stops 2l engage the guides 26 andthe gears are held out of mesh with the worm screws.

It will be seen that by sliding any shank 25 the 35 register thereofwill be slid and its worm gear 30 engaged with its correlated screw 29.The shaft 22 extends through a stufling box 34 in the top of the conduitI0 and blades 35 secured on said shaft form a rotating means, wherebythe passing 40 fluids rotate the shaft. The arrangement is such thatwhen a pre-determined quantity of liquid or fluid has passed through theconduit ID, the blades 35 will have rotated the shaft 22 and the partsassociated therewith so as to operate one of the 45 registers, whereby adigit will be displayed indcative of the quantity of fluid or liquidwhich has passed through said conduit. When a screw 29 and gear 30 aremeshed and the shaft 22 rotated, the register (as C, Fig. 2) will beactuated 50 andthe quantity of fluid dispensed thus registered.

The valve bar 2 I is integral at its lower end with the stem I'I of thevalve I1. The upper end of the bar is slipped in a bracket 36 dependingfrom 55 the top of the casing and is urged downwardly by a coiled spring3T. By this means Ythe valve I'I is normally held closed. Each shank 25passes through a vertical slot 33 in the bar 2l and carries an inclinedcam 39 which supports an inclined cam I9 in the top of each slot.

It will be seen that when any shank is slid to the right (Figures 2 and5) its cam 39 will slide under one of the cams 40 and thus elevate thebar 2l and open the valve I'l. In order to control the opening of thevalve I provide an operator for the shanks which includes a plunger 4Ihaving a head 42 slidable thereon. These parts telescope as is shown inFig. l and contain a coiled spring The plunger has a carrier sleeve 44Yat one end slidable on the bar 2@ which is square in cross section. Thehead 42 carries a handle 45. i The head is shaped to engage in therecesses 23 of the bar I9 and engage the shanks 25. The front side ofthe casing I8 has a vertical slot 46 opposite the guide bar 2B andlateral slots 41 through which the handle 45 may be slid in making thevarious adjustments.

In order to prevent unauthorized operation of the registers a lock 48for each shank 25 is mounted in the bar I9. Each lock has a kdetent 49engaging the under side of a correlated shank. The locks may be of anysuitable construction such as is shown in the patent to Cole No.1,048,041, issued December 24, 1912 and form no particular part of theinvention.

When gasoline is not being dispensed the head 42 of the plunger 4I mayrest against the face of the bar I9 at the bottom of the slot 46, all ofthe registers being locked. The device is illustrated for use by foursalesmen, each having a key and each lock requiring a different key. Thevalve II will be closed. It will be assumed that salesman C desires todispense gasoline.

Salesman C will insert his key in lock 48 thus releasing the shank 25 ofregister C. He will then raise the plunger 4I in the slot 45 and slidein the slot 4l so that the head 42 will enter the recess 23 of the shank25 of the register C. The spring 43 being under greater compression thanthe" spring 33, the register C will be slid. This will cause the cam 39to engage the cam 40 and elevate the bar 2l thus opening the valve I'I.4

When the register C is slid the gear 30 thereof will be engaged withthescrew 29. Upon the opening of the valve I'i the gasoline will oWthrough the conduit ID thus revolving the blades 35 which in turn willrotate the shaft 22. This will operate the register C and thus registerthe quantity of gasoline dispensed by salesman C. Upon completing thedispensing, salesman C will slide the head 42 from the recess 23 andmove the handle 45 to the bottom of slot 46. This will permit the spring33 to restore the register parts to their normal positions. Salesman Cthen removes his key and his register is locked.

It is to be understood thatl any fluid may be dispensed and the registermay be used With any fluid for which it is suitable. Y The revolvingmeans 35 may take any suitable form so long as the shaft 22 is revolvedby the fluid.

It is pointed out that this device is operated by the flow of the liquidor fluid and not Vby any pump mechanism. Any commodity which flowsthrough the yconduit II) and rotatesv the blades 35 will be registered.This is of particular advantage because the device does not have to beassociated with any pump mechanism and may be readily connected in thedischarge line, as shown in Figure 1. The entire device is enclosedwithin the supporting casing I8, which is mounted upon the conduit I El.By this arrangement all parts are enclosed and the device is free fromeX- terior cranks and levers, as well as being idle when the pumpmechanism is operated.

Various changes in the size and shape of the different parts, as well asmodifications and alterations, may be made Within the scope of theappended claims. i

What I claim is:

1. In a liquid register, a conduit for conducting a liquid therethrough,a support, a shaft carried by the support, blades in the conduit in thepath of the liquid flowing through the conduit and con- 1 nected withsaid shaft for rotating the same, a

' valve in the conduit for cutting off the flow therethrough, said valvehaving a vertically slidable rod extending upwardly therefrom registeroperating means carried by the rotatable shaft, a plurality of 2registers movable on the support and having operating means normally outof engagement with the register operating means, and slidable meansconnected with each register for moving that register for engaging itsoperating means with the 2 operating means of the shaft to register thequantity of liquid flowing through the conduit, said slidable meanshaving a cam engaging a complementary cam face on the valve rod, wherebythe rod is raised or lowered to open or close the valve 3 when saidmeans is slid. Y

2. In a liquid register, a conduit for conducting a liquid therethrough,a support, a shaft carried by the support, blades in the conduit in thepath of the liquid' flowing through the con- 3 duit and connected withsaid shaft for rotating the same, a valve in the conduit for cutting offthe flow therethrough, an operating rod connected to the valve, registeroperating means carried by the rotatable shaft, a plurality of reg- 4isters movable on the support andhaving operating means normally out ofengagement With the register operating means, and slidable meansconnected with each register for moving that register for engaging itsoperating means with 4 the operating means of the shaft to register thequantity of liquid flowing through the conduit, said slidable means alsohaving connection with the valve rod, whereby said rod is raised andlowered to open or close the valve when the reg- 5 ister is moved. f y

3. In a liquid register, a conduit for conducting a liquid therethrough,aY support, a shaft carried by the support, blades in the conduit in thepath of the liquid flowing through the conduit and connected with saidshaft for rotating the same, a valve in the conduit for cutting off theflow therethrough, said valve having a vertically slidable rod extendingupwardly therefrom, register operating means carried by the rotatable Gshaft, a plurality of registers movable on the support andhavingoperatingmeansnormally out of engagement with rthe registeroperating means, and a sliding bar connected with each register formoving that register for engaging its operating means with the operatingmeans of the shaft to register the quantity of liquid flowing throughthe conduit, said slidable means having Ya cam engaging a complementarycam face on the valve rod, whereby the rod is raised 7 Vor lowered ,toopen or close the valve when said means is slid. i

4. In a liquid register, a conduit for-conducting a liquidtherethrough,v a support, ya shaft carried by the support, blades in theconduit in 7-5 the path of the liquid owing through the conduit andconnected with said shaft for rotating the same, a valve in the conduitfor cutting olf the flow therethrough, an operating rod connected to thevalve, register operating means carried by the rotatable shaft, aplurality of registers movable on the support and having operating meansnormally out of engagement with the register operating means, and asliding bar connected with each register for moving that register forengaging its operating means with the operating means of the shaft toregister the quantity of liquid flowing through the conduit, said baralso having connection with the valve rod to raise and lower the sametoy open or close the valve when the bar is slid to move its register,whereby the valve is open when one of the registers is in an operatingposition and is closed when all of the registers are inoperative.

5. In a liquid register, a conduit for conducting a liquid therethrough,a support, a shaft carried by the support, blades in the conduit in thepath of the liquid flowing through the conduit and connected with saidshaft for rotating the same, a valve in the conduit for cutting off theflow therethrough, a rod connected to the valve and extending upwardlywithin the support and provided with a plurality of cams, registeroperating means carried by the rotatable shaft, a plurality of registersmovable on the support and having operating means normally out ofengagement with the register operating means, and a sliding barconnected with each register for moving that register for engaging itsoperating means with the operating means of the shaft to register thequantity of liquid flowing through the conduit, said bar having a. camengaging one of the: cams on the valve rod, whereby said rod is raisedor lowered each time the bar is slid to open or close the valve when theregister connected to said sliding bar is moved into or out of operatingposition.

WILLIAM B. WALLACE.

